System and method for provision of a second line service to a telecommunications device using mixed protocols

ABSTRACT

A method for routing calls between a third party telecommunications device (“TD”) and a subscriber TD associated with a primary service and a second line service (“SLS”) involves associating the SLS number of the subscriber, the primary number of the subscriber and the primary number of a third party via a common relationship number. Calls directed from a third party to the SLS number of a subscriber are routed to an SLS platform and redirected to the subscriber TD. Calls directed from the subscriber TD to the third party use the relationship number to route the call to the SLS platform. The combination of the primary service number and the relationship number identifies the third party number for call completion. Calls can be directed to and from an SLS number of a subscriber TD using a combination of protocols such as ISUP, CAP and SIP.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application is a Continuation-In-Part of the currently pendingUnited States application for patent filed on May 7, 2012, entitledSYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVISION OF A SECOND LINE SERVICE TO ATELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICE and assigned Ser. No. 13/466,074, the entirecontents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Priority is alsohereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. provisional applicationentitled “CROSS CARRIER MOBILE DEVICE CLIENT USING DATA CHANNEL FOR SIPCALL,” filed on Jun. 17, 2012 and assigned application Ser. No.61/660,772, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

In simpler times, communication meant a face to face conversation, ahand written note or, perhaps, a phone call between two land lines.Times have changed. People today communicate constantly andsimultaneously via myriad channels, most of which are mobile. Of all themeans of communication available to today's users, the cellulartelephone may be the most ubiquitous. It seems that everybody has oneand that everybody uses their mobile device to stay connected, keeptheir busy lives moving forward, and fulfill their endlessresponsibilities.

For many people, those endless responsibilities are of a personal andprofessional mix. Fielding phone calls and texts from family and friendson the same mobile device from which you endeavor to conduct business isa recipe for confusion. When taking a call from your top client, it'sprobably a good idea to avoid getting it mixed up with a call from yourspouse. The greeting “Hey, Honey!” can undermine even the best ofbusiness relationships.

To keep the personal and business channels of communication separated,many people simply carry two separate mobile devices, each with its owndedicated phone number and service options. If mobile device “A” rings,the user knows it's of a personal nature. If mobile device “B” rings,the user knows that it's a business related call. Although carrying twomobile devices with you is one solution for keeping personal andbusiness demands separate, keeping track of two mobile devices and theirrelated service plans, however, can be frustrating and expensive.

For many users, porting a second phone number to a single device makesmore sense—in doing so, at least the number of devices that must be keptup with in order to keep personal and business matters segregated havebeen reduced. But current systems and methods for managing multiplenumbers on a single device are not without issues. For example, adding asecond line to a service plan often dictates that the user have a moreexpensive “family plan” established with the service provider and oftenthere still is no good way to know which number a calling party hasdialed. Using a dual-SIM (“subscriber identity module”) phone is anothersolution, with each SIM card being dedicated to a separate line, but thecost of redundant service plans to accommodate the multiple SIM cards,not to mention the cost of the dual-SIM phone itself, can be exorbitant.

Another solution is to offer a second line number in the form of avirtual number. Calls to the virtual number are intercepted andforwarded to the primary number of a subscriber's mobile device. Todistinguish that the incoming call was originally directed to thevirtual number as opposed to the primary number associated with thedevice, virtual number services known in the art simply populate acalling party field with the virtual number. The user sees the virtualnumber on the caller ID display and knows that the incoming call wasmade to the virtual number. If the virtual number is being used for abusiness venture, for example, seeing the virtual number on the callerID display prompts the user to answer the call with an appropriategreeting. Notably, however, in some virtual number services the user ofthe virtual number service has no way of identifying the source of theincoming call—he can only know that the incoming call was made to thevirtual number.

In other virtual number services, the problem of identifying the call asan incoming call to the virtual number without sacrificing the abilityto also know the source of the incoming call is solved with the additionof a dialable prefix to the incoming call identification (e.g.,88*770.283.5555). Notably, however, to provide such a solution thevirtual number service must work in cooperation with the subscriber'sprimary service provider so that the dialable prefix is acknowledged asa trigger to forward the incoming call to the subscriber's device.

Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for providing aplurality of dedicated phone numbers to a single telecommunicationsdevice in such a manner that the user of the device can separate andmanage communications on each. Further, what is needed is a system andmethod for providing a second line service to a device in such a mannerthat only a single primary phone number is required from the device'sprimary service provider. Even further, what is needed is a system andmethod for providing a second line service to a device in such a mannerthat the second line service can be provided to the subscriber withouthaving to coordinate with the subscriber's primary service provider.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A method and system are described for routing calls between a thirdparty telecommunications device (“TD”) and a subscriber TD associatedwith a primary service and a second line service (“SLS”). An exemplarymethod according to one aspect includes receiving a call at an SLSplatform that is interposed between a network of a primary serviceprovider to the subscriber TD and a network of a primary serviceprovider to the third party TD. The call, although directed by the thirdparty TD to the subscriber TD associated with the second line service,is routed to the SLS platform.

Upon receiving the call, the SLS platform queries a local database ofthe SLS platform to identify a relationship number that serves to mapthe subscriber's primary number to the combination of the third partycalling number and the subscriber's second line number. The call is thenredirected to the primary number of the subscriber's TD and the call iscompleted. Notably, the relationship number and third party callingnumber combination may be forwarded to the subscriber TD, thus enablingan application on the subscriber TD to save the combination in a localdatabase of the subscriber TD.

Advantageously, the relationship number can be used at a later timeshould the subscriber desire to call the third party. Dialing the thirdparty number from the SLS application on the subscriber TD causes therelationship number for the third party to be dialed. As such, the callis actually routed to the SLS platform which subsequently uses thesecond line service number of the subscriber TD and the relationshipnumber that routed the call to the SLS platform to determine the actualthird party called number. Using the actual third party called number,the SLS platform completes the second leg of the call. In certainembodiments, a call leg between a subscriber device and the SLS platformmay be completed using a session initiated protocol (“SIP”) so that thedata service provided by the primary service provider of the subscriberdevice is used in lieu of a voice channel.

Another exemplary method according to a second aspect includes receivingat an SLS platform a first-time call to a number associated with a thirdparty TD, the SLS platform being interposed between a network of aprimary service provider to the subscriber TD and a network of a primaryservice provider to the third party TD. The call may be directed to theSLS platform via a new relationship number selected by the SLS clientapplication running on the subscriber TD. In such case, the relationshipnumber routes to the SLS platform and the third party number is providedto the SLS platform from the subscriber TD. In other embodiments, thenew SLS client number may be requested from the SLS platform beforemaking the call and then used by the subscriber TD to make the call tothe third party via the SLS platform. In either case, a new relationshipnumber is used to direct an SLS call from the subscriber TD to the SLSplatform.

In the databases located at the subscriber TD and the SLS platform, thenew relationship number maps the subscriber's primary number to thecombination of the third party number and the subscriber's second linenumber. The call is redirected by the SLS platform to the numberassociated with the third party TD and the call is completed.

Advantageously, the new relationship number can be used at a later timeshould the subscriber desire to call the third party. Dialing the thirdparty number from the SLS application on the subscriber TD causes therelationship number for the third party to be dialed. As such, the callis actually routed to the SLS platform which subsequently uses thesecond line service number of the subscriber TD and the relationshipnumber that routed the call to the SLS platform to determine the actualthird party called number. Using the actual third party called number,the SLS platform completes the second leg of the call. As mentionedabove and described below, in certain embodiments a call leg between asubscriber device and the SLS platform may be completed using a sessioninitiated protocol (“SIP”) so that the data service provided by theprimary service provider of the subscriber device is used in lieu of avoice channel.

By associating the SLS number of the subscriber, the primary number ofthe subscriber and the primary number of a third party via a commonrelationship number, calls can be directed to and from a second serviceline of a subscriber TD without having to provide the second lineservice through the subscriber's primary service provider. Even so, insome embodiments, the subscriber's primary service provider may also bethe second line service provider.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the Figures, like reference numerals refer to like parts throughoutthe various views unless otherwise indicated. For reference numeralswith letter character designations such as “102A” or “102B”, the lettercharacter designations may differentiate two like parts or elementspresent in the same figure. Letter character designations for referencenumerals may be omitted when it is intended that a reference numeralencompass all parts having the same reference numeral in all figures.

FIG. 1 is a high level diagram illustrating exemplary components of asystem for providing a second line service (“SLS”) to a user oftelecommunications device (“TD”).

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an exemplary computer architecture for the systemof FIG. 1.

FIGS. 3A-3B illustrate exemplary data tables that may be leveraged by aredirection module of an SLS platform and an SLS module of a subscriberTD to provide a second line service to a user of the subscriber TD.

FIGS. 4A-4D collectively illustrate an exemplary method for routingcalls between a third party TD and a subscriber TD.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method for routing calls from asubscriber TD associated with a primary number and a second line numberto a third party TD.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method for routing calls from a thirdparty TD to a subscriber TD associated with a primary number and asecond line number.

FIGS. 7A-7D collectively illustrate an exemplary method for routingcalls with a session initiated protocol (“SIP”) between a callingtelecommunications device (which may or may not have its own second lineservice) and a called telecommunications device (which may or may nothave its own second line service).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary”is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous overother aspects.

In this description, the terms “application” and “app” may also includefiles having executable content, such as: object code, scripts, bytecode, markup language files, and patches. In addition, an “application”referred to herein, may also include files that are not executable innature, such as documents that may need to be opened or other data filesthat need to be accessed. Further, an “application” may be a completeprogram, a module, a routine, a library function, a driver, etc.

The term “content” may also include files having executable content,such as: object code, scripts, byte code, markup language files, andpatches. In addition, “content” referred to herein, may also includefiles that are not executable in nature, such as documents that may needto be opened or other data files that need to be accessed.

As used in this description, the terms “component,” “database,”“module,” “system,” and the like are intended to refer to acomputer-related entity, either hardware, firmware, a combination ofhardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example,a component may be, but is not limited to being, a process running on aprocessor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution,a program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both anapplication running on a computing device and the computing device maybe a component.

One or more components may reside within a process and/or thread ofexecution, and a component may be localized on one computer and/ordistributed between two or more computers. In addition, these componentsmay execute from various computer readable media having various datastructures stored thereon. The components may communicate by way oflocal and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal havingone or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting withanother component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across anetwork such as the Internet with other systems by way of the signal).

In this description, the terms “telecommunications device,”“communication device,” “wireless device,” “wireless telephone,”“wireless communication device” and “wireless handset” are usedinterchangeably. With the advent of third generation (“3G”) and fourthgeneration (“4G”) wireless technology, greater bandwidth availabilityhas enabled more portable computing devices with a greater variety ofwireless capabilities. Therefore, a telecommunications device (“TD”) mayinclude a cellular telephone, a pager, a PDA, a smartphone, a navigationdevice, a tablet personal computer (“PC”), or a hand-held computer witha wireless connection or link.

In this description, the terms “call” and “communication,” in their nounforms, envision any data transmission routed across a network from onedevice to another including, but not limited to, a voice transmission, atext message, a video message, a page, a data transmission, etc.

Referring to FIG. 1, depicted is a high level diagram illustratingexemplary components of a system 100 for providing a second line serviceto a user of Subscriber Telecommunications Device (“TD”) 110. TD 110 isalso associated with a primary phone number assigned to it by a primaryservice provider, as is understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.A subscriber to a second line service (“SLS”) offered through exemplarysystem 100 may receive calls at TD 110 that are directed to either ofthe primary phone number provided by the primary service provider or thesecondary phone number (“SLS phone number”) provided, serviced and orfacilitated by the SLS platform 115. Notably, depending on theparticular embodiment, the primary service provider and the SLS platform(i.e., the second line service provider) may be the same provider ordifferent providers. In embodiments where the primary service providerand the second line service provider are different providers, thesubscriber may receive separate billing records from each provider.However, it is envisioned that certain embodiments where the primaryservice provider and the second line service provider are not one andthe same may take advantage of session initiated protocols (“SIP”) tosimplify billing records for the user. A more detailed description ofembodiments that use SIP protocols is provided below relative to FIG. 7.

In general, any call directed to either of the primary phone number orthe SLS phone number are transmitted from a third party TD 120 to thesubscriber TD 110 by way of communications network 125. Notably,communications network 125 envisions any and all networks fortransmitting and terminating communications between telecommunicationsdevices such as, but not limited to, cellular networks, PSTNs, cablenetworks and the Internet. Methods for effecting the transmission ofdata across communications network 125 from one device to another,including call setups, terminations and the like are understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art of data transmission and may include theuse of protocols and standards such as, but not limited to, signalingsystem seven (“SS7”) protocol suite, SIP, customized applications formobile networks enhanced logic (“CAMEL”) or CAMEL Application Part(“CAP”), remote operations service element (“ROSE”), Voice Over IP(“VOIP”), etc. Notably, while the use of any particular protocol orcommunications standard may be a novel aspect of a particular embodimentof the systems and methods, it will be understood that the scope of thesystems and methods disclosed herein is not limited to the use of anyparticular protocol or combination of protocols.

A call made from a third party TD 120 to the primary number associatedwith subscriber TD 110 is transmitted across communications network 125and routed to subscriber TD 110, as is understood in the art. The radiotransceiver 104, if the TD 110 is a portable and wireless device,enables the receipt and transmission of signals to and from subscriberTD 110. The call signal may include the calling line identification(“CLID”), i.e. the phone number, associated with third party TD 120 suchthat when the call is received at subscriber TD 110, the CLID may bedisplayed for the benefit of the subscriber on display component 103.Notably, although the exemplary embodiments described in the presentdisclosure use the CLID as an example of data that may be displayed forthe benefit of the user of a subscriber TD 110, it will be understoodthat any data associated with the third party TD 120, subscriber TD 110,SLS platform 115 or the like may be rendered for the benefit of the userof the system 100 and, as such, only describing that the CLID isdisplayed will not limit the scope of what is envisioned by thedisclosure. Moreover, it is envisioned that any data uniquely associatedwith a call to a primary number or an SLS number may be displayed forthe benefit of a subscriber to the system 100.

Returning to the FIG. 1 illustration, a call made from a third party TD120 to an SLS number associated with subscriber TD 110 is transmittedacross network 125. As one of ordinary skill in the art will be aware,the network 125 recognizes where the call needs to be routed based onthe called number (the SLS number associated with the subscriber) androutes the call to SLS platform 115. SLS platform 115 thus effectivelyintercepts the call, determines that the call was intended forsubscriber TD 110 and then takes actions such that the call can beterminated at the subscriber TD 110. In this way, while a call directedto a primary number associated with subscriber TD 110 is routed directlyto subscriber TD 110, a call directed to a second line number associatedwith subscriber TD 110 is routed to SLS platform 115 instead. Oncereceived at SLS platform 115, a query of central SLS database 116 byredirection module 117 may determine that the call from third party TD120 was meant for the second line number associated with the subscriberassociated with TD 110. Once the determination is made, redirectionmodule 117 may modify the call data to include data that reflects itsidentification as a call for the second line number and then cause thecall to be available for termination at the primary number associatedwith subscriber TD 110.

Because the call includes data identifying it as a call to the secondline number associated with subscriber TD 110, SLS module 105 mayintercept the incoming call, or otherwise be injected into the callprocessing activity for the call, and then leverage data stored in localSLS database 106 to render it in such a way that the user or subscriberassociated with TD 110 knows that the call is for the second line numberas opposed to the primary number. The SLS module 105 is designed to workwith radio transceiver 104 and any stored or retrievable content inlocal SLS database 106 to terminate a call to a second line number,render associated data and provide services uniquely associated with thesecond line number such as, but not limited to, dedicated voicemail,ringtones, caller ID, automated responses, etc.

A more detailed description of the exemplary method, including exemplarymethods for receiving a call from a third party TD 120 and making a callto a third party TD 120 by way of the SLS platform 115 will be describedbelow relative to FIGS. 4-7.

Referring to FIG. 2, a diagram of exemplary computer architecture 101for the system 100 of FIG. 1 is depicted. The exemplary architecture 101may include a subscriber telecommunications device (“TD”) 110 and athird party TD 120. Notably, although the third party TD 120 is notillustrated to suggest that it, like TD 110, is equipped with SLScapability, it is envisioned that in some embodiments both thesubscriber TD 110 and the third party TD 120 may be SLS enabled.

As shown in the FIG. 2 illustration, an SLS platform 115 may beconnected to the subscriber TD 110 via a first provider network 201 andto the third party TD 120 via a second provider network 202, although itis envisioned that TDs 110 and 120 may be associated with a commonservice provider. Moreover, it is envisioned that either, or both,service providers respectively associated with provider networks 201,202 may function as both a primary service provider and an SLS providerfor a given TD 110, 120. Further, it is envisioned that either or bothof TD 110 and TD 120 may be associated with a primary service providerand a separate SLS provider.

For exemplary purposes the subscriber TD 110 is depicted as being SLSenabled and the third party TD 120 is depicted as not having a secondline service associated with it. Other combinations of primary andsecond line service providers for each of TDs 110 and 120 areenvisioned. In the FIG. 2 illustration, it can be seen that the SLSplatform 115 may include an SLS server 205 configured to receive callsdirected to and from a second line number associated with subscriber TD110.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the SLS server 205 includes a processor 209and a memory 211 coupled to the processor 209. The memory 211 mayinclude instructions for executing one or more of the method stepsdescribed herein. Further, the processor 209 and the memory 211 mayserve as a means for executing one or more of the method steps describedherein. As indicated, the memory 211 may also include a redirectionmodule 117 and a central SLS database 116. Notably, it should beunderstood that the term server 205 may refer to a single server systemor multiple systems or multiple servers. One of ordinary skill in theart will appreciate that the various server arrangements may be selecteddepending upon computer architecture design constraints and withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the subscriber TD 110 may include aprocessor 208 and a memory 207 coupled to the processor 208. The memory207 may include instructions for executing one or more of the methodsteps described herein. Further, the processor 208 and the memory 207may serve as a means for executing one or more of the method stepsdescribed herein. As indicated, the memory 207 may also include an SLSmodule 105 and a local SLS database 106.

Referring to FIGS. 3A-3B, illustrated are exemplary data tables that maybe leveraged by a redirection module 117 of an SLS platform 115 and anSLS module 105 of a subscriber TD 110 to provide a second line serviceto a user of a subscriber TD 110. The Second Line Service Master IDTable 305 and Subscriber Relationship ID Table 310 of FIG. 3A may bestored in a central SLS database 116 while the exemplary SubscriberRelationship ID Table 315 of FIG. 3B may be stored in a local SLSdatabase 106. An illustrative embodiment of a method for providing asecond line service will now be described in the context of theexemplary data tables reflected in FIGS. 3A-3B.

Embodiments of the method for providing a second line service leverageintermediate phone numbers to ensure that calls meant for the user ofsubscriber TD 110 route to the SLS platform 115. Once the call reachesthe SLS platform 115, an application running on redirection module 117makes a translation to complete the call. The SLS platform 115 maintainsa master list of SLS phone numbers that are in service. In someembodiments, these numbers may be owned by the SLS service provider. Inthe telecommunications network 125, these numbers route to the SLSplatform 115 (i.e., the SLS platform may exist in network 125 as atelephony peripheral).

The SLS service provider that manages the SLS platform 115 essentiallyhas a group of SLS numbers that are his inventory and are provided tosubscribers of the SLS service. Regarding the SLS numbers which are theinventory of the SLS service provider, one of ordinary skill in the artwill recognize that the SLS numbers may be random and generallyunrelated to each other, i.e. although the exemplary SLS numbersdepicted in the FIG. 3A Second Line Service Master ID Table aresequential it is envisioned that such is not the case in allembodiments. Referring to the Second Line Service Master ID Table 305,the example subscriber #1 has been issued SLS number 1.770.555.0001. Assuch, subscriber #1 may choose to use his SLS number as a businessnumber and give it out to contacts. Notably, in Second Line ServiceMaster ID Table 305 the primary number, 1.408.544.1212, that is assignedto the subscriber TD 110 by the primary service provider 201 isassociated with subscriber #1 and his SLS number 1.770.555.0001.

For each subscriber to the SLS service, a Subscriber Relationship IDTable 310 is also maintained. Referring to the Subscriber RelationshipID Table 310, it can be seen that the SLS service provider has anotherlist of dialable phone numbers, i.e. relationship numbers, which aremaintained. These relationship numbers are essentially “hidden numbers”that are used to facilitate calls between the subscriber's TD 110(which, again, is actually a TD with a number and service provided by aprimary service provider, such as primary service provider 201) and theSLS platform 115 operated by the SLS service provider.

Concerning the Subscriber Relationship ID Table 310, one of ordinaryskill in the art will understand that certain embodiments may notformally distinguish one subscriber's records from that of another viaindividual subscriber relationship ID tables. Rather, as is understoodin the art of database management and query, a more general relationaldatabase including records associated with multiple subscribers may beused to map subscriber number and third party number combinations togiven relationship numbers. As such, it will be understood that thedescription in this disclosure of exemplary embodiments that includeindividual subscriber relationship ID tables are offered forillustrative purposes only and will not limit the scope of thedisclosure.

Additionally, concerning the use of relationship numbers, it isenvisioned that certain relationship numbers may be used for a pluralityof subscriber number and third party number combinations, i.e. incertain embodiments a given relationship number may not be unique to agiven subscriber number and third party number combination. For example,in an illustrative embodiment, subscribers D, E, F and G, may all havedatabase records that map relationship number X to third party numbersJ, K, L and E, respectively. Notably, in this exemplary scenario, thelast subscriber number and third party number combination (G:E) is meantto envision a case where G has a calling relationship with E. In suchcase, although E is a subscriber to the SLS service he may also betreated as a third party caller relative to subscriber G. To carry theexample further, if G has a relationship with E, E also has one with G.However, the E:G combination may or may not use a different relationshipnumber Y.

Additionally, it is envisioned that in certain embodiments arelationship number may be used for purposes other than to map a thirdparty calling number in Subscriber Relationship ID Table 310. Forexample, a given relationship number may be used by the SLS platform 115to alert the SLS Module 105 that a call has been received from anunknown caller with a blocked CLID. Or, as another non-limiting example,a given relationship may be used by the SLS platform 115 to alert theSLS Module 105 that a voice message has been deposited for thesubscriber.

Returning to the FIG. 3A illustrations, as mentioned above, therelationship numbers are “behind the scenes” numbers that are hiddenfrom the subscriber. This is accomplished by an app running on SLSmodule 105 residing on subscriber TD 110. As will be explained in moredetail, the SLS module 105 leverages the app to translate any numbercalling the subscriber, or called by the subscriber, into theappropriate Relationship Number. The application run by the SLS module105 on subscriber TD 110 uses a relationship number to access the SLSplatform 115 over the telephone network 125. The SLS number is used bythe redirection module 117 of the SLS platform 115 to complete callswith any external party calling the subscriber's SLS number or beingcalled by the SLS subscriber using SLS module 105 of subscriber TD 110.Essentially, by leveraging the relationship numbers, an SLS serviceprovider may insert itself into the middle of a call between a thirdparty TD 120 and a subscriber TD 110 which have primary servicesprovided by different service providers 202 and 201, respectively.

For example, referring back to the tables in FIG. 3A and the systemarchitectures described in FIGS. 1-2, Subscriber #1 associated withsubscriber TD 110 already has mobile phone service via primary serviceprovider 201 using mobile phone number 1.408.544.1212. Subscriber #1subsequently subscribes to an SLS service provided by way of SLSplatform 115 and is assigned SLS number (i.e., a second line number)1.770.555.0001 (again, the SLS provider and the primary service provider201 may be one and the same provider in some embodiments but, in thepresent example they are separate providers). It will also beappreciated that the assigned SLS number may also be any other numberthat is associated with the subscriber but that the subscriber hasdecided to port over or to utilize from the SLS 115 platform, eitherpermanently or temporarily. The relationship between the subscriber'sprimary number and the SLS number is reflected in Second Line ServiceMaster ID Table 305 of FIG. 3A. 1.770.555.0001, for example, may be thephone number that subscriber #1 publishes for his side business,personal calls, etc.

A third party, identified in Subscriber Relationship ID Table 310 ofFIG. 3A as being Subscriber Contact #1, is associated with a third partyTD 120A having a primary phone number 1.305.229.9999. The serviceassociated with the third party's TD 120 and primary phone number1.305.229.9999 may be provided by service provider 202. Notably,although the primary phone number 1.305.229.9999 associated with thirdparty TD 120 is described herein as a primary phone number, it will beunderstood that it may, in fact, be a second line number in embodimentswhere the third party is also an SLS subscriber. In such event, thesteps taken by the SLS platform 115 in the context of receiving a callto or from the 3^(rd) party number may not change. Further, as one ofordinary skill in the art understands, as with any phone service, acalled party can receive calls over the telephone network 125 from atelecommunications device on any service provider's network.

Returning to the example, the third party uses TD 120A to place a callto the subscriber #1 SLS number 1.770.555.0001. As described above, thecall is routed to the SLS platform 115. The SLS platform 115 accepts thecall (without connecting the voice path to the third party TD 120A) anddetermines that the call is for SLS number 1.770.555.0001 and that1.770.555.0001 does not yet have a “relationship” set up for the callingnumber, 1.305.229.9999 (for purposes of this example, subscriber #1 hasonly recently subscribed to the SLS service and Subscriber RelationshipID Table 310 does not yet contain any records—i.e., the third partyassociated with TD 120A is the first to place a call to the SLS numberof subscriber #1).

The SLS platform 115 creates the following relationship in SubscriberRelationship ID Table 310: When 1.770.555.0001 receives (or places) acall from/to 1.305.229.9999, the interaction with the subscriber's phone(1.408.544.1212) will use dialable telephone number 1.678.222.0001.Notably, it is envisioned that a given relationship number, such asrelationship number 1.678.222.0001 in the present example, may be usedas a relationship number for many different SLS subscribers as it is thecombination of the subscriber's primary number and/or the SLS number andthe relationship number that map to the external number (in this case,1.305.229.2999).

Returning to the example, now that the relationship number1.678.222.0001 has been established in connection with subscriber #1 andthe calling third party, the SLS platform 115 may proceed to establishthe second half of the call—the call from the SLS platform 115 to thesubscriber's TD 110. The SLS platform 115 places the call to the primarynumber 1.408.544.1212 that points to subscriber TD 110 per its primaryservice provider 201.

The calling party field of the call placed from SLS platform 115 tosubscriber TD 110 may contain a specially encoded message for the SLSphone app running on SLS module 105. In some embodiments, the callingparty field may contain the relationship number established by the SLSplatform 115 (in this example, 1.678.222.0001) and the actual primarynumber of the calling third party (in this example, 1.305.229.9999),separated by a dialable separator such as a “star” character. In otherembodiments, the calling party field may be populated with “unknowncaller” or the like in the event that the relationship number is a newnumber assigned by the SLS platform 115 and not yet recognized by theSLS phone app (more details regarding such an embodiment is describedbelow relative to FIGS. 4 and 7). Notably, it is envisioned that otherembodiments may populate the calling party field, or provide othermetadata, that serves to trigger recognition of the incoming call as acall directed to the SLS number of the subscriber. As such, bydescribing the exemplary embodiment to populate the calling party fieldwith a combination of the relationship number and the third party'sactual phone number, the scope of the disclosure will not be limited.

Returning to the example, having recognized that the incoming call isfrom the SLS platform 115, the SLS module 105 stores the combination ofthe relationship number 1.678.222.0001 and third party actual number1.305.229.9999 in the local SLS database 106. To complete the exemplarycall, the SLS module 105 may cause the actual phone number associatedwith the third party TD 120A, 1.305.229.9999, to be rendered on displaycomponent 103 as an identification of the calling party and rings thephone. Once the subscriber #1 answers, the SLS platform 115 connects thetwo legs of the call (leg 1 represented by third party TD 120A to SLSplatform 115 and leg 2 represented by SLS platform 115 to subscriber TD110) by methods known and understood by those of ordinary skill in theart of telecommunications. As non-limiting examples, the calls can beconnected via a forward or a bridge, as well as other technologies.

Notably, in the example, the combination of the relationship number1.678.222.0001 and the third party actual calling number 1.305.229.9999is now stored in the central SLS database 116 at SLS platform 115 andalso in the local SLS database 106 in subscriber TD 110. As one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize, the importance of therelationship number is that it may also provide a mechanism by which theSLS platform may intercept calls originating from subscriber TD 110 viaSLS number.

Furthering the example, Subscriber #1 desires to originate a call to thethird party associated with 1.305.229.9999 from his SLS number1.770.555.0001. Because the third party associated with 1.305.229.9999had previously placed a call to the SLS number 1.770.555.0001, therelationship combination that maps Subscriber #1's SLS number1.770.555.0001 and the third party phone number 1.305.229.9999 torelationship number 1.678.222.0001 is already stored in both the centralSLS database 116 at SLS Platform 115 and the local SLS database 106 insubscriber TD 110.

To place calls from his SLS number, Subscriber #1 uses the SLS phone appof SLS module 105 as his dialer, as a non-limiting example of onepotential embodiment. In the SLS dialer (not depicted in the Figures),Subscriber #1 dials the third party number 1.305.229.9999 which isreflected in the Private Relationship ID Tables 310, 315 as beingassociated with his Contact #1. The SLS module 105 queries SubscriberRelationship ID Table 315 in local SLS database 106 and translates thecalled third party number 1.305.229.9999 to relationship number1.678.222.0001. The SLS module 105 may indicate to the subscriber viadisplay 103 that it is calling 1.305.229.9999, but instead it calls therelationship number 1.678.222.0001. By calling the relationship numberassociated with Contact #1, the network 125 routes the call to the SLSplatform 115 instead of directly to third party TD 120A phone. The SLSplatform 115 may also modify the “calling number” field in thesignaling, that is instead of populating the field with the actualnumber of the calling device (1.408.544.1212), it may populate it withthe SLS number (1.770.555.0001). In this way, it will appear to Contact#1 that he is receiving a call originating from the SLS number of thesubscriber instead of the primary number (1.408.544.1212) associatedwith subscriber TD 110.

When the SLS platform 115 processes this first leg of the call, it mayrecognize that the calling number is the subscriber's primary number1.408.544.1212 (which is associated with the subscriber's SLS number1.770.555.0001) and the called number is the relationship number1.678.222.0001. Querying the Subscriber Relationship ID Table 310 incentral SLS database 116, the redirection module 117 may apply thefollowing logic: “when primary number 1.408.544.1212 calls relationshipnumber 1.678.222.0001, it is actually SLS number 770.555.0001 calling1.305.229.9999.” The SLS platform 115 may then follow that logic andcomplete the subscriber's call by calling the actual number1.305.229.9999 associated with third party TD 120A. Notably, incompleting the second leg of the call from Subscriber #1 to the thirdparty associated with third party TD 120A, the SLS platform 115 maycause the calling number to be reflected as the SLS number1.770.555.0001 instead of the actual primary number of subscriber TD110.

As described above, it is envisioned that another SLS subscriber (forexample, Subscriber #2 having SLS number 1.770.555.0002) could also calluse the same relationship number (1.678.222.0001), but it would map to adifferent external number associated with a contact of Subscriber #2.The encoded representation of the actual called number may be acombination of the SLS number and the relationship number.

FIGS. 4A-4D collectively illustrate an exemplary method 400 for routingcalls between a third party telecommunications device, such as thirdparty TD 120, and a telecommunications device associated with asubscriber to a second line service, such as subscriber device 110. Atblock 402, a communication is directed to and received by an SLSplatform 115. Notably, the communication is envisioned to be anycommunication over network 125 that is directed to SLS platform 115,whether such communication originates from a TD 110 or a TD 120. Next,at decision block 404, the SLS platform 115 determines whether thecommunication was a call that originated from a third party seeking toconnect to a subscriber's device, i.e. whether a third party has dialedan SLS number associated with an active subscriber to the SLS serviceprovided by SLS platform 115. If the communication was not a call thatoriginated from a third party, then the “no” branch is followed to block432 of FIG. 4C. If the communication was a call that did, in fact,originate from a third party, then the “yes” branch is followed to block406. Notably, if a communication is directed to the SLS platform 115,one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the communicationwas either a call to an SLS number of a subscriber (if dialed by a thirdparty), a call to a relationship number (if originating from an SLSclient of a subscriber TD 110), or a data communication originating froman SLS client application.

At block 406, the SLS platform 115 queries central SLS database 116 forthe calling line ID (“CLID”), i.e. the phone number of the callingparty, in association with the SLS number that caused the call to berouted to the SLS platform 115. If at decision block 408, the SLSplatform 115 successfully queries the calling party CLID and SLS numbercombination, then the “yes” branch is followed to block 422 of FIG. 4B.If the calling party CLID and SLS number combination are notsuccessfully queried, then the “no” branch is followed to block 410.

At block 410, the SLS platform 115 may associate a new relationshipnumber with the calling third party number and the subscriber's primarynumber and SLS number. At block 412, the central SLS database 116 isupdated to include the newly created record—the calling third party islisted as a contact of the subscriber in the Subscriber Relationship IDTable 310. At block 414, the call is redirected to the subscriber'sprimary number, thereby routing it to the subscriber TD 110. Inredirecting the call, the calling party field may be populated in someembodiments with a combination of the newly assigned relationship numberand the third party CLID.

At block 416, the subscriber TD 110 may receive the redirected call viaSLS module 105 and the local SLS database 106 updated to include thenewly assigned relationship number in association with the third partyCLID. At block 418, the third party CLID is displayed to the subscriberand the subscriber is alerted to the incoming call. Notably, it isenvisioned that displaying the CLID may include rendering the CLIDitself, rendering a picture of the third party, rendering a name, etc.as is understood by those with skill in the art of graphical userdisplays and interfaces. At block 420, the call is connected by the SLSplatform 115 when the subscriber answers the call with his subscriber TD110.

It is envisioned that the steps taken at block 414 of the method 400 maydiffer in some embodiments. For instance, when a third party call to asubscriber SLS number is received at the SLS platform 115, and the thirdparty calling number is not yet associated with a relationship number,the SLS platform 115 may assign a next relationship number as describedrelative to blocks 410-412 then redirect the call to the subscriber TD110. The SLS module 105 of the subscriber TD 110, having no record ofthe new relationship number in its local database 106, may display thecalling number as “unknown caller” on the display of the subscriber TD110. At the same time, the SLS module 105 may establish a dataconnection over network 125 with the SLS platform 115 for the purpose ofacquiring the third party calling number associated with the newrelationship number. Once the actual third party calling number isacquired, the SLS module 105 may update the local database 106 andchange the display from “unknown caller” to the actual third partycalling number.

Turning now to FIG. 4B, if the “yes” branch is followed from decisionblock 408 of FIG. 4A, at block 422 the SLS platform 115 queries thecentral SLS database 116 for the relationship number that maps to thecombination of the third party CLID and subscriber's SLS number. Atblock 424, the subscriber's primary number, as also identified from thequery of block 422, is called by the SLS platform 115. At block 426, thecall is received at the subscriber's TD 110 and the SLS module 105recognizes that it originated from the SLS platform 115. It isenvisioned that some embodiments of a SLS module 105 may recognize thatan incoming call is from the SLS platform 115 by virtue of the calloriginating from a relationship number. At block 426, the relationshipnumber in the calling party field of the call signaling causes the SLSmodule 105 to handle the call and display the associated third partyCLID for the benefit of the subscriber (the third party CLID may bequeried from the local SLS database 106 by use of the relationshipnumber).

At block 428 the subscriber is alerted to the incoming call and at block430 the call is connected to the subscriber TD 110 by the SLS platform115 when the subscriber answers the call. It is envisioned that, if thesubscriber elects not to answer a call to the SLS number, the SLS module105 in some embodiments may use a voicemail service or message servicein response to the unanswered call. That is, it is envisioned that anSLS service may provide features and services dedicated to the SLSsubscriber and separate from similar features and services associatedwith the subscriber's primary number.

Turning now to FIG. 4C, if the “no” branch is followed from block 404 ofFIG. 4A, at decision block 432 the SLS platform 115 determines that thecommunication is a call that was directed to a relationship number.Notably, if the call is directed to a relationship number, then it musthave originated from a TD 110 associated with a subscriber of the SLSservice. If the communication was not a call directed to a relationshipnumber, the “no” branch is followed to block 442 of FIG. 4D. If,however, the communication was a call that was routed to the SLSplatform 115 because it was directed to a relationship number then the“yes” branch is followed to block 434.

At block 434, the central SLS database 116 is queried for therelationship number in combination with the subscriber's primary numberfrom which the call originated. At block 436, the SLS platform 115 maydetermine the actual third party number with which the relationshipnumber and the subscriber primary number combination is associated.Having identified the actual third party number, the SLS redirectionmodule 117 may deduce that the subscriber desires to contact the thirdparty TD 120 associated with that actual third party number and, atblock 438, the SLS platform 115 redirects the call to such TD 120. Thecalling party field of the call is populated with the subscriber's SLSnumber so that the third party will associate the incoming call with thesecond line number of the subscriber and not the primary number of thesubscriber. At block 440, the call is connected to the third party TD120.

Turning now to FIG. 4D, if the “no” branch is followed from block 432 ofFIG. 4C, at decision block 442 the SLS platform 115 determines that thecommunication is a data communication over network 125 that originatedfrom an SLS client of a subscriber TD. If not, then it is assumed thatit was an errant communication and the “no” branch is followed to block444 and the communication is disconnected. If the communication didoriginate from a second line client (i.e., an SLS module 105 in asubscriber TD 110) associated with a subscriber to the SLS service, thenthe “yes” branch is followed to block 446. It is envisioned that thecommunication from an SLS client application to an SLS platform may beof any protocol suitable for communicating over network 125. At block446, it is deduced by the SLS platform 115 that the subscriberassociated with the calling SLS client desires to use the SLS service tocall a third party with which no relationship number has been associatedwith the actual third party number. The SLS module 105 has provided therequest for the new relationship number, along with the third partynumber it desires to call, to the SLS platform 115 via thecommunication. The central SLS database 116 is queried at block 446 todetermine the next available relationship number for the subscriber'sgiven SLS number.

It is envisioned that the SLS module 105 may communicate with the SLSplatform 115 in some embodiments to obtain a relationship number for athird party that has not previously been called via a session-basedprotocol such as, but not limited to, an unstructured supplementaryservices data (“USSD”) protocol. As is understood in the art oftelecommunications protocols, a gateway such as a USSD gateway may beused to route messages from a signaling network to service applicationsand back. In this way, certain embodiments of an SLS module 105 maycommunicate with an SLS platform 115 to designate and acquire arelationship number to a third party who has not been called by thesubscriber before via the SLS service (or, for that matter, a thirdparty who has not placed a call to the subscriber's second line numberbefore).

Moreover, USSD is offered herein for exemplary purposes and is not meantto limit the type of communications protocol that may be used by certainembodiments. For example, it is envisioned that short message service(“SMS”) protocol, multimedia messaging service (“MMS”) protocol, and/orother protocols may be used by some embodiments. It is envisioned thatan IP-based interaction over the TD's data service may be used by someembodiments. As would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art,use of session based protocols or other communication protocols mayminimize temporal delays in allocating and acquiring relationshipnumbers between an SLS module 105 and an SLS platform 115. In fact, itis anticipated that any mechanism that can be used to establish acommunication path between the SLS module 105 and the SLS platform 115for the purposes of supporting the SLS service can be utilized. This mayinclude any of the varieties of cellular data, WiFi, Bluetoothtechnologies, proprietary wireless or wired technologies, etc. Suchchannels can be used in setting up the relationship databases, sharinginformation between the SLS module 105 and the SLS platform 115,initiating voice communication establishment from the TD 110 to the SLSplatform 115, the TD 110 requesting the SLS platform 115 to place a callto a third party TD 120, etc.

At block 448, the determined next available relationship number isreturned to the SLS module 105 of the subscriber TD 110. At block 450,the central SLS database 116 is updated with the new relationship numberand the third party CLID provided to the SLS platform by the SLS client105 of the subscriber TD 110. The new relationship number is nowassociated in the central SLS database 116 with the subscriber primarynumber, the subscriber SLS number and the third party CLID. Notably,after blocks 448 and/or 450, the method 400 may return to the start ofmethod 400 at block 402 as the SLS module 105 of the subscriber TD 110has acquired a new relationship number in association with a third partyCLID. Consequently, using the newly acquired relationship number mayessentially start over the method 400 with the SLS platform receiving acommunication. If so, the method 400 would follow to FIG. 4C where thecommunication was recognized as the subscriber TD 110 having placed acall to the new relationship number.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary method 500 for routing calls from atelecommunications device associated with a primary number and a secondline number, such as subscriber device 110, to a third partytelecommunications device, such as third party TD 120A. At block 502,the SLS module 105 is used by the user of subscriber TD 110 to dial thephone number of a third party associated with third party TD 120A. TheSLS module 105 queries local SLS database 106 for the dialed third partynumber. If the third party number is recognized in the query, atdecision block 506, the “yes” branch is followed to block 508 and a callis placed to the relationship number associated with the third partynumber and reflected in the queried record. Further, at block 508, whenthe relationship number is called (thus routing the call to the SLSplatform for eventual connection to the third party TD 120A). In someembodiments, the called party field is populated with the third partynumber and rendered on the display component 103 of the subscriber TD110 for the benefit of the subscriber.

If the third party number is not recognized at decision block 506, thenthe “no” branch is followed to block 510. At block 510, the SLS platform115 is contacted and at block 512 a next available relationship numberis provided back to the SLS module 105. At blocks 514 and 516, the SLSmodule 105 updates the local SLS database 106 with the relationshipnumber in combination with the associated third party number. The callis completed at block 508 by using the relationship number as previouslydescribed.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary method 600 for routing calls from athird party telecommunications device, such as third party TD 120A, to atelecommunications device associated with a primary number and a secondline number, such as subscriber device 110. Beginning at block 602, anincoming call from a third party TD 120A is received at a subscriber TD110. At decision block 604, the SLS module 105 determines whether thecall was directed to the primary number associated with the TD 110 orthe SLS number associated with the subscriber TD 110. If the call wasdirected to the primary number, then the “yes” branch is followed toblock 606 and the call is answered in association with the features andservices of the primary number. If the call was directed to the SLSnumber associated with the subscriber TD 110 then the “no” branch isfollowed block 608. As described above, the SLS module 105 may be ableto determine that the call was directed to the SLS number by virtue ofthe call originating from a relationship number. Recognizing the CLID asa relationship number, the SLS module 105 may determine that the call ismeant for the second line service, as opposed to the primary service ofthe TD 110. Moreover, as described above, the SLS module 105 mayrecognize that the incoming call is from a relationship number even ifthe relationship number is not yet included in database 106.

At block 608, the SLS module 105 queries local SLS database 106 to findthe relationship number associated with the incoming call. If therelationship number is not identifiable in the database 106, the SLSmodule 105 may communicate with the SLS platform to acquire the thirdparty calling number that has been associated with the new relationshipnumber in the central database 116 by the SLS platform. Subsequently,the SLS module 105 may update the local database 106 to include the newrelationship number in combination with the third party number. At block610, the call is answered with the features and services associated withthe second line service and the called party field on the display 103used by SLS module 105 is populated with the third party CLID for thebenefit of the subscriber. Notably, as described above, if therelationship number is a new number to the SLS module 105, the calledparty field may be temporarily populated with “unknown caller” or thelike until the actual third part calling number is determined.

Turning now to FIG. 7, an embodiment of a second line service methodthat uses a session initiated protocol (“SIP”) and/or customizedapplications for mobile networks enhanced logic (CAMEL) for a callplaced through an SLS service is described. As one of ordinary skill inthe art would recognize, CAMEL Application Part (CAP) is a user protocolthat rides on top of the Transaction Capabilities Application Part(“TCAP”) of the SS7 protocol suite. Embodiments of a system and methodfor second line services may use combinations of SIP, CAP and ISUP toconnect calls between calling and called parties on a mobile devicenetwork.

In the particular calling scenarios applicable to the FIG. 4 method, theprimary service provider of the SLS subscriber may exact a charge (i.e.,generate an invoice or a bill) for call placed from the subscriber'sdevice (such as TD 110) to the SLS platform 115. Subsequently, the SLSprovider associated with the SLS platform 115 may also exact a chargefor the call placed from the platform to the called party (such as thirdparty TD 120). It is envisioned that this potential for “dual billing”in embodiments described relative to the FIG. 4 method may be cumbersomeand less than optimal for at least the reasons that the call records andprimary service invoices may identify a call between the subscriber's TD110 and the SLS platform 115 as being a call to/from an otherwise hiddenRelationship Number. Consequently, the dual billing reality of certainembodiments may present a level of inconvenience or even confusion tothe SLS subscriber.

Accordingly, it is envisioned that some embodiments of a second lineservice may include an SLS module 105 configured to either access aseparate SIP calling program or use an integrated SIP callingcapability. As such, the SLS module 105 may place the initial call tothe SLS platform 115 over a data channel of communications network 125,as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.Advantageously, by using SIP in such embodiments a voice channel callotherwise generated, reported and billed by the primary service providerin association with a primary phone number of the TD may be avoided. Assuch, for embodiments of a second line service method that uses SIP forcertain legs of the communications between a TD and an SLS platform, itis envisioned that:

-   -   1) Billing and/or reporting a call between the primary number of        the subscriber's mobile device and a relationship number on the        SLS platform by the primary service provider supplying the        primary phone number of the subscriber's TD may be avoided;    -   2) Because billing and/or reporting by the primary service        provider is avoided regarding a call between the primary number        of the subscriber's mobile device and a relationship number on        the SLS platform, the subscriber may not see and be confused by        a call listed on his primary phone number invoice as being        placed to an otherwise hidden relationship number instead of to        the recognizable third party number he actually dialed;    -   3) Any revenue to the primary service provider may be limited to        usage against the subscriber's primary phone number data plan        (or overage in the primary number data plan); and    -   4) The SLS provider may be positioned to exact and collect all        revenue associated with a call placed through the SLS service        which may be invoiced to the subscriber as a call placed from        the subscriber's SLS number.

A first exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a second line service method may use a SIP enabled communication legover network 125 for the benefit of a subscriber includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having an SLS service;    -   Directed to: A called TD having an SLS service provider that is        different from its primary service provider;        The call between the SLS platform and the called TD may be a SIP        call made via a data service provided to the called TD from its        primary service provider.

A second exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a second line service method may use a SIP enabled communication legover network 125 for the benefit of a subscriber includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having an SLS service provider that is        different from its primary service provider;    -   Directed to: A called TD having an SLS service;        The call between the calling TD and the SLS platform may be a        SIP call made via a data service provided to the calling TD from        its primary service provider.

A third exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a second line service method may use a SIP enabled communication legover network 125 for the benefit of a subscriber includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having only a primary service        provider;    -   Directed to: A called TD having an SLS service provider that is        different from its primary service provider;        The call between the SLS platform and the called TD may be a SIP        call made via a data service provided to the called TD from its        primary service provider.

A fourth exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a second line service method may use a SIP enabled communication legover network 125 for the benefit of a subscriber includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having an SLS service provider that is        different from its primary service provider;    -   Directed to: A called TD having an SLS service provider that is        different from its primary service provider;        The call between the calling TD and the SLS platform, as well as        the call between the SLS platform and the called TD, may be a        SIP call made via a data service provided to the calling TD or        called TD from its respective primary service provider.

A fifth exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a second line service method may use a SIP enabled communication legover network 125 for the benefit of a subscriber includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having an SLS service provider that is        different from its primary service provider;    -   Directed to: A called TD having only a primary service provider;        The call between the calling TD and the SLS platform may be a        SIP call made via a data service provided to the calling TD from        its primary service provider.

In other embodiments of a second line service system, it is envisionedthat a provider may be the primary service provider and the second lineservice provider for a given SLS subscriber. Embodiments of a secondline service in which a single provider is both the primary serviceprovider and the second line service provider for a subscriber may betermed Direct Second Line Number (“DSLN”) services. An advantage ofDirect Second Line Number embodiments is that a subscriber may havemultiple phone numbers associated with one device using a singleuniversal subscriber identity module (“USIM”) or subscriber identitymodule (“SIM”).

An first exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a DSLN service method may use CAP signaling for a communication legwith a subscriber whose provider is a primary service provider and asecond line service provider includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having an SLS service provider;    -   Directed to: The SLS number of a called TD that has a primary        service provider that is also the second line service provider;

A second exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a DSLN service method may use CAP signaling for a communication legwith a subscriber whose provider is a primary service provider and asecond line service provider includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD having only a primary service        provider;    -   Directed to: The SLS number of a called TD that has a primary        service provider that is also the second line service provider;

A third exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a DSLN service method may use CAP signaling for a communication legwith a subscriber whose provider is a primary service provider and asecond line service provider includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD using its SLS number and having an SLS        service provider that is also its primary service provider;    -   Directed to: The SLS number of a called TD that has a primary        service provider that is also the second line service provider;

A fourth exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a DSLN service method may use CAP signaling for a communication legwith a subscriber whose provider is a primary service provider and asecond line service provider includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD using its SLS number and having an SLS        service provider that is also its primary service provider;    -   Directed to: The SLS number of a called TD;

A fifth exemplary scenario in which it is envisioned that an embodimentof a DSLN service method may use CAP signaling for a communication legwith a subscriber whose provider is a primary service provider and asecond line service provider includes a call:

-   -   Placed from: A calling TD using its SLS number and having an SLS        service provider that is also its primary service provider;    -   Directed to: The primary number of a called TD;

In the above scenarios, instead of using only ISUP signaling, a DSLNembodiment may use CAP signaling between a TD and the SLS platform togive the appearance that the second line number is a number associatedwith the physical TD from which it originated. Advantageously, thisappearance may apply to billing records and called/calling numberinformation to be displayed on a called party's TD.

In still other embodiments of a second line service system and method,it is envisioned that variations of the above scenarios may exist wherea user having a primary service provider and second line serviceprovider may play calls to, or receive calls from, a user whose primaryservice provider is also the second line service provider. That is, itis envisioned that a user of a cross-carrier second number may placecalls between a user of a direct second number. In such scenarios, it isenvisioned that the SLS platform may communicate with the cross-carriersecond line user via SIP or ISUP and the direct second line user viaCAP.

FIGS. 7A-7D collectively illustrate an exemplary method 700 for routingcalls with a session initiated protocol (“SIP”) between a callingtelecommunications device (which may or may not have its own second lineservice) and a called telecommunications device (which may or may nothave its own second line service). Although the method 700 is beingdescribed in the context of communication legs using SIP instead ofISUP, it will be understood that the method is not limited to just usingSIP. As explained above, depending on whether a particular calling orcalled party is a cross-carrier second line number user (i.e., theprimary service provider is different from the second line serviceprovider) or a direct second line number user (i.e., the primary serviceprovider and the second line service provider are the same provider),embodiments of the systems and methods may use CAP protocols and/orother protocols that would occur to those with skill in the art.

At block 702, a communication is directed to and received by an SLSplatform 115. Next, at decision block 704, the SLS platform 115determines whether the communication originated from a calling partyseeking to connect to a subscriber's device, i.e. whether a callingparty has dialed an SLS number associated with an active subscriber tothe SLS service provided by SLS platform 115. Notably, if the callingparty device has a second line service, and the communication receivedby the SLS platform 115 at block 702 was a call made from the SLS moduleof the calling party TD, the communication between calling party TD andSLS platform 115 may be a SIP call placed via the data serviceassociated with the primary service provider of the calling party.

Returning to the method 700 at decision block 704, if the communicationwas not a call to an SLS number of an active subscriber, then the “no”branch is followed to block 732 of FIG. 7C. If the communication was, infact, a call directed to an SLS number, then the “yes” branch isfollowed to block 706. Notably, if a communication is directed to theSLS platform 115, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatthe communication was either a call placed to an SLS number of asubscriber (if dialed by a third party), a call placed to a relationshipnumber (if originating from an SLS client of a subscriber TD, or acommunication over a data channel (if originating from an SLS client ofa subscriber TD)

At block 706, the SLS platform 115 queries central SLS database 116 forthe calling line ID (“CLID”), i.e. the phone number of the callingparty, in association with the SLS number that caused the call to berouted to the SLS platform 115. Notably, it will be understood that, ifthe calling party TD has its own SLS service the CLID may be the SLSnumber associated with the calling party TD if the call was placed fromits SLS module. If at decision block 708, the SLS platform 115successfully queries the calling party CLID and called party SLS numbercombination, then the “yes” branch is followed to block 722 of FIG. 7B.If the calling party CLID and called party SLS number combination arenot successfully queried, then the “no” branch is followed to block 710.

At block 710, the SLS platform 115 may associate a new dialablerelationship number with the calling party number and the called party'sprimary number and SLS number. At block 712, the central SLS database116 is updated to include the newly created record—the calling party islisted as a contact of the called party (e.g., see the SubscriberRelationship ID Table 310). At block 714, the call may be redirected tothe called party via SIP, thereby routing it to the called party's TDusing a data service associated with the primary service provider of thecalled party TD. In redirecting the call, the calling party field may bepopulated in some embodiments with a combination of the newly assignedrelationship number and the calling party CLID.

At block 716, the called party TD may receive the redirected call via anSLS module and update its local SLS database to include the newlyassigned relationship number in association with the calling party CLID.At block 718, the calling party CLID is displayed to the called partyand the called party is alerted to the incoming call. Notably, it isenvisioned that displaying the CLID may include rendering the CLIDitself, rendering a picture of the calling party, rendering a name, etc.as is understood by those with skill in the art of graphical userdisplays and interfaces. At block 720, the call is connected by the SLSplatform 115 using SIP when the called party answers the call with hisSLS enabled TD.

It is envisioned that the steps taken at block 714 of the method 700 maydiffer in some embodiments. For instance, when a third party call to asubscriber SLS number is received at the SLS platform 115, and the thirdparty calling number is not yet associated with a relationship number,the SLS platform 115 may assign a next relationship number as describedrelative to blocks 710-712 then redirect the call to the subscriber TD110. The SLS module 105 of the subscriber TD 110, having no record ofthe new relationship number in its local database 106, may display thecalling number as “unknown caller” on the display of the subscriber TD110. At the same time, the SLS module 105 may establish a dataconnection over network 125 with the SLS platform 115 for the purpose ofacquiring the third party calling number associated with the newrelationship number. Once the actual third party calling number isacquired, the SLS module 105 may update the local database 106 andchange the display from “unknown caller” to the actual third partycalling number.

Turning now to FIG. 7B, if the “yes” branch is followed from decisionblock 708 of FIG. 7A, at block 722 the SLS platform 115 queries thecentral SLS database 116 for the relationship number that maps to thecombination of the calling party CLID and called SLS number. At block724, the called party's TD is called by the SLS platform 115 using SIP.At block 726, the call is received at the called party's SLS enabled TDand its associated SLS module recognizes that the call originated fromthe SLS platform 115. It is envisioned that some embodiments of a SLSmodule 105 may recognize that an incoming call is from the SLS platform115 by virtue of the call originating from a relationship number. Atblock 726, the relationship number in the calling party field of the SIPcall signaling may cause the SLS module to handle the call and displaythe associated calling party CLID for the benefit of the called party.Notably, it is envisioned that the SLS module may recognize the call asan SLS call simply by virtue of the call being a SIP call.

At block 728 the called party is alerted to the incoming call and atblock 730 the call is connected to the called party TD by the SLSplatform 115 via SIP when the subscriber answers the call. It isenvisioned that, if the called party elects not to answer a call to theSLS number, the SLS module in the called party TD in some embodimentsmay use a voicemail service or message service in response to theunanswered call. That is, it is envisioned that an SLS service mayprovide features and services dedicated to the SLS subscriber andseparate from similar features and services associated with thesubscriber's primary number.

Turning now to FIG. 7C, if the “no” branch is followed from block 704 ofFIG. 7A, at decision block 732 the SLS platform 115 determines whetherthe communication is a call that is directed to a relationship number.Notably, if the communication is a call that is directed to arelationship number, then it must have originated from a TD associatedwith a subscriber of the SLS service. If the communication was notrouted to the SLS platform 115 because of being a call directed to arelationship number, the “no” branch is followed to block 742 of FIG.7D. If, however, the call was routed to the SLS platform 115 because itwas directed to a relationship number then the “yes” branch is followedto block 734. Notably, it is envisioned that in some embodiments the SLSplatform 115 may recognize that the communication originated from asubscriber of the SLS service simply by virtue of the communicationbeing a SIP based call.

At block 734, the central SLS database 116 is queried for therelationship number in combination with the subscriber primary numberfrom which the call originated. At block 736, the SLS platform 115 maydetermine the actual third party number (called party number) with whichthe relationship number and the subscriber primary number combination isassociated.

Notably, although for illustrative purposes the present embodimentsinclude only a single SLS number being associated with a subscriber TD,it is envisioned that a subscriber TD may have multiple SLS numbersassociated with it in some embodiments. In such cases, as one ofordinary skill in the art will recognize, the various queries describedherein may further be based on combinations of numbers that include oneof the multiple SLS numbers which are associated with a given TD. Forinstance, in a scenario where a subscriber TD contacts the SLS platformvia an out-of-band channel (such as SMS, MMS, USSD, IP, etc.) to acquirea relationship number, connect to a call to a third party associatedwith a relationship number, etc., the subscriber TD may at that timealso provide data indicating from which SLS number the call should becompleted. Consequently, based on a combination of the indicated SLSnumber and the relationship number and the primary service number, thecall may ultimately redirected from the SLS platform to the third partyTD per variations of the methods described herein.

Furthering the example of an embodiment where the subscriber TD hasmultiple associated SLS numbers, the Subscriber Relationship ID Table(see FIG. 3A) may be expanded to include ranges of relationship numbersin association with certain SLS numbers. For example:

SLS Number Contact R-Number 3rd party number 770.555.0001 1 678.222.0001305.229.9999 770.555.0001 2 678.222.0002 212.777.8888 770.555.0001 3678.222.0003 408.333.2222 . . . . . . . . . . . . 770.555.0001 9999678.222.9999 Unused 770.555.0050 1 678.333.0001 201.555.1234770.555.0050 2 678.333.0002 408.333.2222 770.555.0050 3 678.333.0003404.213.2133 . . . . . . . . . . . . 770.555.0050 9999 678.333.9999Unused

Based on these ranges, an SLS client in the subscriber TD will be ableto determine the SLS number to which a call was directed from therelationship number used by the SLS server to complete the call to thesubscriber TD. Similarly, when a call is placed from the subscriber TD,the SLS platform will be able to determine the actual third partycalling number and the correct SLS number from a combination of thesubscriber's primary service number and the relationship number.Referring to the table immediately above, range 222.XXXX for therelationship numbers maps to the subscriber's SLS number 770.555.0001whereas range 333.XXXX for the relationship numbers maps to thesubscriber's other SLS number 770.555.0050.

Returning to the method 700 at decision block 737, if the actual thirdparty number determined at block 736 is also an SLS number (thus, boththe calling party and the called party are SLS subscribers), the methodmay proceed to block 739 and the call redirected to the third party'sactual number (which is also its SLS number) via SIP. If, however, atdecision block 737 it is determined that the third party number is notan SLS number (thus the third party is not an SLS subscriber), then themethod moves to block 738 and the SLS platform 115 redirects the call tothe called party's TD via the PSTN. At block 740, the call is connectedto the third party TD.

Turning now to FIG. 7D, if the “no” branch is followed from block 732 ofFIG. 7C, at decision block 742 the SLS platform 115 determines whetherthe communication was a data communication that originated from an SLSclient of a subscriber TD. If not, then it is assumed that it was anerrant communication and the “no” branch is followed to block 744 andthe communication is disconnected. If the communication was a datacommunication over network 125 that did originate from a second lineclient associated with a subscriber to the SLS service, then the “yes”branch is followed to block 746. At block 746, it is deduced by the SLSplatform 115 that the subscriber associated with the calling SLS clientdesires to use the SLS service to call a third party with which norelationship number has been associated with the actual third partynumber. The SLS module 105 has provided the request for the newrelationship number, along with the third party number it desires tocall, to the SLS platform 115 via the communication.

Briefly referring back to previous blocks in the methods 700 and 400, ifthe SLS platform 115 was contacted by the SLS module 105 using a nextrelationship number identified by the module 105, then the centraldatabase 116 is updated with the next relationship number and the thirdparty calling number (which may also have been provided to the SLSplatform over a data connection) combination and the call is completedto the third party number. If the SLS platform 115 was contacted by SLSmodule 105 via a data connection in order to acquire a next relationshipnumber, the central SLS database is queried to determine the nextavailable relationship number for the calling party's given SLS number.

Returning to the method 700, at block 748 the determined next availablerelationship number is returned to the SLS module of the calling partyTD via the data connection. At block 750, the central SLS database 116is updated with the new relationship number and the third party CLIDprovided to the SLS platform by the SLS client 105 of the subscriber TD110. The new relationship number is now associated in the central SLSdatabase 116 with the subscriber primary number, the subscriber SLSnumber and the third party CLID. Notably, after blocks 748 and/or 750,the method 700 may return to the start of method 700 at block 702 as theSLS module 105 of the subscriber TD 110 has acquired a new relationshipnumber in association with a third party CLID. Consequently, using thenewly acquired relationship number may essentially start over the method700 with the SLS platform receiving a communication. If so, the method700 would follow to FIG. 7C where the communication was recognized asthe subscriber TD 110 having placed a call to the new relationshipnumber.

Certain steps or blocks in the processes or process flows described inthis specification naturally precede others for the invention tofunction as described. However, the invention is not limited to theorder of the steps or blocks described if such order or sequence doesnot alter the functionality of the invention. That is, it is recognizedthat some steps or blocks may performed before, after, or parallel(substantially simultaneously with) other steps or blocks withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. In some instances,certain steps or blocks may be omitted or not performed withoutdeparting from the invention. Also, in some instances, multiple actionsdepicted and described as unique steps or blocks in the presentdisclosure may be comprised within a single step or block. Further,words such as “thereafter”, “then”, “next”, “subsequently”, etc. are notintended to limit the order of the steps or blocks. These words aresimply used to guide the reader through the description of the exemplarymethod.

Additionally, one of ordinary skill in programming is able to writecomputer code or identify appropriate hardware and/or circuits toimplement the disclosed invention without difficulty based on the flowcharts and associated description in this specification, for example.Therefore, disclosure of a particular set of program code instructionsor detailed hardware devices is not considered necessary for an adequateunderstanding of how to make and use the invention. The inventivefunctionality of the claimed computer implemented processes is explainedin more detail in the above description and in conjunction with theFigures which may illustrate various process flows.

In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readablemedium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media andcommunication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of acomputer program from one place to another.

A storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by acomputer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readablemedia may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical diskstorage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or anyother medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code inthe form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed bya computer.

Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. Forexample, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or otherremote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair,digital subscriber line (“DSL”), or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber opticcable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared,radio, acoustic and microwave are included in the definition of medium.

Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (“CD”), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (“DVD”), floppy disk and blu-raydisc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discsreproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above shouldalso be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

Therefore, although selected aspects have been illustrated and describedin detail, it will be understood that various substitutions andalterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the present invention, as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for routing calls between a first partytelecommunications device (“TD”) and a second party TD, the methodcomprising the steps of: provisioning the first party TD from a secondline service (“SLS”) platform by: identifying the second line service(“SLS”) number to be associated with the first party TD, wherein the SLSnumber is a network addressable telephone number; establishing a datacommunication channel between the SLS platform and the first party TD;optionally transmitting over the data communication channel one or morerelationship numbers to the first party TD, wherein each relationshipnumber is associated with an SLS number of the first party TD and anetwork addressable phone number for the second party TD; receiving acall at the SLS platform, wherein the SLS platform is in communicationwith a network of a primary service provider to the first party TD and anetwork of a primary service provider to the second party TD and whereinthe primary service providers provide primary service numbers to thefirst and second party TDs, respectively; determining that the call wasrouted to the SLS platform from the second party TD because it was theresult of dialing an SLS number associated with the first party TD;establishing an additional relationship number that is associated withan actual network addressable telephone number for the second party TDwhen a call from the first party TD SLS number is initiated using theadditional relationship number; transmitting over the data communicationchannel the additional relationship number to the first party TD; basedon the additional relationship number, redirecting the call from the SLSplatform to the primary number associated with the first party TD,wherein the leg of the redirected call between the second party TD andthe first party TD is conducted via a voice channel; receiving a call atthe SLS platform originating from the first party TD; determining thatthe call was routed to the SLS platform from the first party TD becauseit was directed to a called relationship number recognized by thenetwork of the primary service provider to the first party TD;identifying the SLS number of the first party TD and an actual networkaddressable phone number for a third party TD all associated with thecalled relationship number; and redirecting the call from the SLSplatform to the actual network addressable phone number for the thirdparty TD, wherein the call between the first party TD and the thirdparty TD is conducted via a voice channel.
 2. The method of claim 1,wherein: the second party TD also has an SLS number associated with it;and the actual calling number associated with the second party TD is theSLS number of the second party TD.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein:the call was routed to the SLS platform from the second party TD via oneof the group consisting of SIP and CAP.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the first party TD recognizes the redirected call by virtue ofthe redirected call indicating that it originated from the additionalrelationship number.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: thefirst party TD determining that the additional relationship number isassociated with the actual calling number of the second party TD; andpopulating a calling party field on the first party TD display with theactual calling number of the second party TD.
 6. The method of claim 4,further comprising using the additional relationship number to direct areturn call back to the second party TD from the first party TD, whereinuse of the additional relationship number by the first party TD causesthe call to be routed to the SLS platform.
 7. The method of claim 6,further comprising receiving the return call at the SLS platform andusing the additional relationship number and the primary service numberof the first party TD to determine the actual number associated with thesecond party TD and the calling number associated with the first partyTD and redirecting the call to the determined actual number andincluding the calling number of the first party TD as the calling numberidentifier.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary serviceprovider to the second party TD is the same service provider as theprimary service provider to the first party TD.
 9. A method for routingcalls from a subscriber TD associated with a second line service (“SLS”)number to a second party telecommunications device (“TD”), the methodcomprising the steps of: provisioning the subscriber TD from a secondline service (“SLS”) platform by: identifying the second line service(“SLS”) number to be associated with the subscriber TD, wherein the SLSnumber is a network addressable telephone number; establishing a datacommunication channel between the SLS platform and the subscriber TD;transmitting one or more relationship numbers to the subscriber TD,wherein each relationship number is associated with an SLS number of thesubscriber TD and a network addressable phone number for a third partyTD and, wherein at least one of the relationship numbers is associatedwith an actual network addressable telephone number for a second partyTD when a call from the first party TD SLS number is initiated using therelationship number associated with the second party TD; receiving acall at the SLS platform originating from the subscriber TD; determiningthat the call was routed to the SLS platform from the subscriber TD asthe result of initiating a call to the relationship number associatedwith the second party TD, wherein the relationship number maps a primaryservice number of the subscriber TD to an actual calling number of thesecond party TD; based on the primary service number of the subscriberTD and the relationship number associated with the second party,identifying the SLS number of the subscriber TD the second party actualcalling number; and redirecting the call from the SLS platform to thethird party actual calling number wherein the leg of the redirected callbetween the second party TD and the subscriber TD is conducted via avoice channel; receiving a call at the SLS platform originating from thefirst party TD.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the leg of theredirected call between the SLS platform and the third party TD isconducted over the public switched telephone network (“PSTN”) via SS7protocol.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein: the third party TD alsohas an SLS number associated with it; and the actual calling numberassociated with the third party TD is its SLS number.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the leg of the redirected call between the SLSplatform and the third party TD is conducted via one of the groupconsisting of SIP and CAP.
 13. The method of claim 9, further comprisingpopulating a calling line identification (“CLID”) field of theredirected call with the SLS number of the subscriber TD.
 14. The methodof claim 9, wherein a primary service provider to the subscriber TD isthe same service provider as a second line service provider to thesubscriber TD.
 15. A method for routing calls from a subscriber TDassociated with a second line service (“SLS”) number to a third partytelecommunications device (“TD”), the method comprising the steps of:SLS platform provisions a first party TD equipped with an SLSapplication by: identifying a second line service (“SLS”) number to beassociated with the first party TD, wherein the SLS number is a networkaddressable telephone number; establishing a data communication channelbetween the SLS platform and the first party TD; and transmitting theidentification of the SLS number and optionally, one or morerelationship numbers to the first party TD, wherein each relationshipnumber is associated with the SLS number of the first party TD and anetwork addressable telephone number for another party TD; receiving arequest at the SLS platform via a data channel, the request to establishan additional relationship number that is associated with an actualnetwork addressable telephone number for the third party TD when a callfrom the first party TD SLS number is initiated using the additionalrelationship number; providing a requested relationship number back tothe subscriber TD over the data channel, wherein the requestedrelationship number creates an association of the primary service numberof the first party TD, the SLS number and an actual number of a thirdparty TD; receiving a call at the SLS platform originating from thefirst party TD; determining that the call was routed to the SLS platformfrom the first party TD because it was directed to a called relationshipnumber recognized by the network of the primary service provider to thefirst party TD; identifying the SLS number of the first party TD and anactual network addressable phone number for the third party TD allassociated with the called relationship number; and redirecting the callfrom the SLS platform to the actual network addressable phone number forthe third party TD, wherein the call between the first party TD and thethird party TD is conducted via a voice channel.
 16. The method of claim15, further comprising: receiving a call initiation at the SLS;determining that the call was routed to the SLS platform from thesubscriber TD because the network recognizes that the relationshipnumber is serviced by the SLS platform; based on the primary servicenumber of the subscriber TD and the relationship number, identifying thethird party actual calling number; and redirecting the call from the SLSplatform to the third party actual calling number.
 17. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the leg of the redirected call between the SLSplatform and the third party TD is conducted over the public switchedtelephone network (“PSTN”) via SS7 protocol.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein: the third party TD also has an SLS number associated with it;and the actual calling number associated with the third party TD is itsSLS number.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the leg of theredirected call between the SLS platform and the third party TD isconducted via one of the group consisting of SIP and CAP.
 20. The methodof claim 16, further comprising populating a calling line identification(“CLID”) field of the redirected call with the SLS number of thesubscriber TD.